Mobile Ad Extensions have had an update. Here’s what you need to know.

Jessica Freer, one of our Paid Search Executives, brings us up to speed on the latest AdWords mobile ad extensions upgrade that has further enhanced the mobile user experience.

The “rise of mobile” has long been a hot topic for marketers. Currently, the average person spends around four hours a day on their phones and with more searches happening on mobile than any other device, it now accounts for around 60% of digital ad spending.

Because of this, there has always been an emphasis on the need for a ‘user-friendly’ website, meaning an easy-to-use interface and a strategic use of visuals for customers. Loading time and ease of use have a strong infraction on a site’s bounce rate, and in turn the rate of conversions. Device bid adjustments means that when smartphone users are converting at a higher rate than other platforms, bids can be raised to increase targeting to mobile devices.

Despite this, mobile marketing has still always remained one step behind the reliable desktop. But, no more! AdWords mobile ad extensions are benefitting from an upgrade, bringing more usability to mobile and interactivity to our ads.

The biggest change is that sitelinks are becoming interactive, making it easier for a marketer to send searchers to more relevant, deeper parts of the website, whilst offering them the kind of ‘immediate results’ mobile experience smartphone users have become accustomed to. A sitelink that leads to either an irrelevant landing page or a slow loading page can result in potential consumers abandoning the ad entirely.

As sitelinks are personally tailored to the needs of each client, we have control over which links we provide and obtain the ability to reach visitors at a more advantageous point in the sales funnel, as consumers are more specific in what they want to see. For example, to utilise a popular client type, a clothing company could provide direct links to specific brands or product categories of their site, making the buying process quicker and more convenient for the consumer.

As sitelinks have not previously been interactive, searchers would regularly see cut off text, making this a big upgrade for mobile sitelinks. So far, Google has reported early results that show people have been twice as likely to interact with the sitelinks new formatting.

Previous Sitelinks

New Sitelinks

Whilst it may not be as big a change as sitelinks, callouts and structured snippets are also gaining more real-estate.

Callouts provide additional ‘bullet-point-style’ information about the advertised business, whilst structured snippets offer a list of what is included beyond the ad (i.e the different brands stocked and product types). Originally, these extensions would be showcased beneath the ad, whereas now they will be placed in line with the ad text.

This means that, on average, more of your callouts and structured snippets will be available to show alongside your ad, meaning a highly detailed ad tailored to the ideal consumer and less money wasted on ill-informed clicks. Based on Google’s user studies, people have found this new formatting to be more informative and engaging.

This update is currently live in the UK as well as the US, impacting ads on a global scale. Changes can be viewed on both Mobile and Tablet devices for ‘Google.com’ search. To find out more about the changes, here’s the definitive word from Google.

Looking for more information on our Paid Marketing services? You can discover more here, or get in touch for a chat about your needs and how Visualsoft can deliver on 01642 955188.

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